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Anadolu Agency: News in English, 02-01-05

Anadolu Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Anadolu Agency Home Page at <http://www.anadoluajansi.com.tr/>

Anadolu Ajansı

ANADOLU AJANSI

HABERLER

05 JENUARY 2002

Saturday

Türkiye

Dünya

Parlamento

Ekonomi

Spor

Sanat-Magazin

Sağlık

Türkiye


CONTENTS

  • [01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

  • [01] TURKEY-PRESS SCAN

    These are some of the major headlines and their brief stories in Turkey's press on January 5, 2002. The Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

    HURRIYET (LIBERAL)

    ISTANBUL GOVERNOR SLEEPS
    Mydonose Showland called its costumers on the phone, and said that the Sultan's of Dance performance was cancelled due to heavy snow fall. However, Istanbul Governor's Office did not think of warning students. Millions of students woke up and took to the streets under heavy snow fall. Primary and secondary schools were closed at 08:30 a.m. This time, students could not return to their homes. Snow reached 34 centimeters in Sariyer district of Istanbul.

    NATURAL GAS PRICE TO DECREASE
    Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit held a meeting with Energy and Natural Resources Minister Zeki Cakan and Pipeline Transportation Inc. (BOTAS) Director General Gokhan Bildaci. Prime Minister Ecevit said that a meeting would be held on Monday, and a decision would be taken to decrease price of natural gas.

    INTERIOR MINISTRY RELEASES A DECREE TO PREVENT A POSSIBLE SOCIAL ERUPTION
    Interior Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen released a decree to prevent a possible social eruption. The decree calls on local administrations to cooperate with Social Cooperation and Solidarity Fund. People suffering from poverty, will be given urgent aid.

    MILLIYET (LIBERAL)

    AKCAKOCA SAYS BANKING OPERATION WILL COST 4 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS
    Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA) Chairman Engin Akcakoca said that the operation thought to be carried out in banking sector would cost almost 4 billion U.S. dollars. Akcakoca underlined importance of acting fast and with determination. If a capital contribution was to be made to banks, this should be estimated correctly and at one time, Akcakoca stressed. Akcakoca added that private sector should share burdens and liabilities of the banking sector for a successful restructuring in the sector.

    FOREIGN DEBT STOCK FALLS TO 118.8 BILLION DOLLARS
    The Treasury Undersecretariat announced that the foreign debt stock fell to 118 billion 848 million U.S. dollars as of the end of September 2001. The foreign debt stock was 119 billion 602 million U.S, dollars at the end of 2000. According to the temporary foreign debt statistics in the third three- month period of 1996-2001, short-term foreign debts decreased 8.1 billion U.S. dollars while medium and long term foreign debts increased 7.3 billion U.S. dollars in the nine months of the previous year.

    U.S. SENATORS: ''ECEVIT IS A WISE LEADER''
    Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit received U.S. Congress members who are currently in Ankara to hold a series of contacts. U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman who headed the U.S. delegation told the press after the meeting that the fight against terrorism would not end until the Saddam regime in Iraq was overthrown, adding that the U.S. delegation told Prime Minister Ecevit that the U.S. would be in solidarity with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit about the issue. Referring to Iraq, Lieberman said that important discussion took place in this issue, adding that they thanked Turkey for its ''critical and important'' support to the U.S.'s fight with terrorism.

    SABAH (LIBERAL)

    WHITE TORTURE TO LAST FOR A WEEK
    Heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures that have paralyzed daily life and traffic throughout Turkey, will last for a week. Two people who fell due to icy roads, lost their lives in northern province of Samsun while three others froze to death in Istanbul. Primary and secondary schools have been recessed in nine provinces in central, eastern and northern Anatolia.

    ''ILICAK VIOLATED SECULARISM''
    The Constitutional Court notified Felicity Party (SP) leader Recai Kutan about its reasoned verdict pertaining to the closure of Virtue Party (FP). The reasoned verdict was also sent to the Prime Ministry Office to be published in the Official Gazette. Decision of the Constitutional Court dated June 22, 2001 said it was decided to strip Nazli Ilicak and Bekir Sobaci off their deputyship as they caused the closure of their party with their statements and actions. The reasoned verdicts said, ''Ilicak violated the secularism by helping Merve Kavakci to enter the Parliamentary General Assembly Hall with an Islamic-style headscarf.''

    CUMHURIYET (LEFT)

    TANAKA IN ANKARA
    Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanakacame to Ankara yesterday to hold a series of contacts. She met with Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. At the meeting, the two foreign ministers exchanged views on many issues such as future of Afghanistan, recent developments in the Middle East. Later, Tanaka was received by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit.

    BARIS MANCO TO BE COMMEMORATED IN LIEGE
    Baris Manco, one of the leading Turkish pop singers who passed away two years ago, will be commemorated in Liege, Belgium, at the 59th anniversary of his birth.

    RADIKAL (LEFT)

    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT TO DEBATE REQUEST FOR WARNING AK PARTY ON TUESDAY
    Constitutional Court decided to debate a request for warning the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Tuesday. The Court will debate the request of Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Sabih Kanadoglu who had requested the court to give a warning to the AK Party to exclude Recep Tayyip Erdogan from founder membership of the party since he was not competent to be elected as a deputy.

    PRICE OF ONE U.S. DOLLAR DECREASES
    Price of one U.S. dollar decreased 17 thousand Turkish liras (TL) to 1 million 418 thousand TL. Meanwhile, price of one euro decreased 46 thousand TL to 1 million 274 thousand TL.

    TURKIYE (RIGHT)

    SNOWFALL IN EVERYWHERE
    Snowfall which started in the morning paralyzed traffic. Ferries across the Istanbul straits were cancelled. Flights from Istanbul aiport could resume in the afternoon. The Bogazici and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges were closed to traffic for hours. Citizens crossed the bridges on foot. Residents of Izmir who were surprised with the first snowfall in years took to the streets. Similar bewilderment happened in Aydin and Mersin on which snow have not fallen for a decade. Schools in Istanbul, Mugla, Usak, Denizli, Isparta and Burdur and in some townships of Izmir, Antalya and Afyon were closed. Cold front is expected to proceed to Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia as of Saturday. Roads to 10 thousand villages are still blocked. Electricity can't be given to many townships, hamlets and villages in Giresun and Trabzon. Abant Lake was covered with ice. Heavy snow fall is expected to continue for three days. Flood is expected in Antalya, Mesin and Adana.

    IRAQ'S FUTURE DEPENDENT ON TURKEY
    Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit who met with nine U.S. senators prior to his visit to the United States said Iraq would not be divided while Senator Joseph Liebeman said they would take a decision togeher with Turkey on an intervention.

    FIRE IN KITCHEN SURPASSES INFLATION
    The inflation rate in 2001 was announced as 88.6 percent but the real fire is in foodstuffs. Increase in prices of foodstuffs is shocking. The price of 1 liter vegetal oil rose by 173 percent, 1 kilogram of sugar increased by 147 percent, 1 kilogram tomato paste rose by 145 percent, 1 kilogram wheat increased by 140 percent and 1 egg rose by 127 percent.

    ZAMAN (CONSERVATIVE)

    EVEN METEOROLOGY DIRECTOR STRANDED ON ROAD
    Heavy snow fall which started suddenly early on Friday paralyzed whole country, particularly Istanbul. Thousands of motor vehicles were stranded on roads. Especially parents reacted to the National Education which had not closed schools on time. National Education Director in Istanbul Omer Balibey defended himself saying, ''even Meteorology Director in Istanbul Saffet Sari was stranded on road in the morning while he was taking his son to school. Would he have tried to take his son to school if he had definite information?'' Meanwhile, Saffet Sari said they had warned the Governor's Office two times. Sari said he had watched outside until the morning and they were on alert against a possible snow fall. ''Even a snow did not fall until the morning. I would warn the Governor's Office if the snow had falled but the snow fall started after the sunrise. So we did not have any responsibility about recession of schools.'' Citizens crossed the Bogazici Bridge on foot as he traffic was blocked. Meanwhile, the Istanbul Stock Exchange first and second sessions were not held as sufficient number of staff could not make it into work while it snowed on coastal regions like Kusadasi, Mersin and Izmir for the first time in years.

    SNOW DELAYS JAPANESE MINISTER'S VISIT TO ANKARA
    Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tonaka who had arrived in Istanbul as the guest of Foreign Minister Ismail Cem was stranded in Istanbul due to heavy snow fall. Policemen who were escorting Tonaka understood that she could not catch the plane which would take off for Ankara at 10:20 and asked the airport officials to keep the plane waiting. Tonaka arrived at the airport after a one-hour delay but it was announced that the plane would not take off due to bad weather. Tonaka's plane departed at 13:20 and was received by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit in Ankara late on the same day.

    4 PEOPLE DIE WHILE 30 OTHERS SAVED FROM FREEZING TO DEATH
    Two people froze to death in Istanbul and a person froze to death in Sanliurfa while a person who slipped and fell in Beykoz district in Istanbul die of a heart attack. Meanwhile, the Istanbul Municipatily hosted 30 homeless people at its facilities in Alibeykoy, saving them from freezing to death.

    -ARMED ATTACK ON POLICE STATION IN SIVEREK INJURES ONE POLICEMAN
    SIVEREK - Unidentified assailant or assailants opened fire on a police station in Siverek township of southeastern province of Sanliurfa at about 05:00 a.m. on Saturday.

    Sources told the A.A correspondent that policeman Ahmet Kilic, 31, who was patrolling in front of the station, was injured.

    He was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

    A full investigation into the armed attack is under way.

    -PUBLIC PROCUREMENT BILL APPROVED
    ANKARA - Parliamentary General Assembly approved late on Friday the Public Procurement Bill.

    The bill will enter into force as of January 1, 2003. The new arrangement will be implemented on every kind of good or service purchases and construction works of all public organizations and institutions. Also construction works of state banks are included in scope of the bill.

    Purchases of equipment and ammunitions regarding defense, security and intelligence and purchase and hiring of immovables were not included in scope of the bill.

    Under the bill, the administrations can directly get their needs which do not cost higher than 5 billion Turkish liras (TL) without making an announcement. This amount had been 2 billion TL in the former shape of the draft.

    The irrevocable guarantee to be taken from the bidder before making a contract by calculating according to the cost of the auction was reduced from 10 to 6 percent under the bill.

    Under the bill, the date of notification to the company or person that was awarded the contract was increased from 7 to 14 days.

    The notary certification obligation in making a contract on the tender and announcing the result of the tender was excluded from the bill.

    The bill determines the ''principles and rules of auctions that will be held by all state-run public institutions and organizations''.

    The bill brings forth rules for public auctions within framework of the European Union norms.

    Under this bill, public administrations will be responsible of transparency, competition, equal treatment, confidentiality, public opinion control, supply of requirement on time and under appropriate conditions and productive use of sources in their auctions.

    Purchase of goods, purchase of services and construction works cannot be auctioned together if they are not linked to each other naturally.

    The auction authority will be a ten-member ''auction commission'' to be formed within the public organization or institution which planned to hold an auction.

    Under the bill, an auction won't be held for a work or project to which any fund was not allocated.

    There will be ''threshold prices'' for the estimated cost of purchase and construction works to be auctioned.

    The administration can freely take decisions and select domestic companies in the auctions for the works of which estimated cost is below the threshold price while it will abide by the Public Procurement Law principles for the works of which estimated cost is higher than the threshold price.

    The bill also foresees formation of a nine-member Public Procurement Authority which will comprise chairman's office and service units.

    Under the Public Procurement Contracts bill, ''type contracts'' for goods or service purchases and construction works will be published in the Official Gazette in order to provide for sameness in implementation of regulations for public auctions. Administrations will take these contracts as the basis of their contracts.

    -HEAVY SNOWFALL PARALYZE DAILY LIFE AND TRAFFIC THROUGHOUT TURKEY
    -A PERSON FREEZES TO DEATH
    MERSIN/KAYSERI - Heavy snowfall paralyzed daily life and traffic throughout Turkey.

    Sources told the A.A correspondent that Bulent Mayali, 40, had frozen to death in southern province of Mersin.

    Gendarmerie units rescued 13 people who were stranded in six vehicles in Kayseri.

    Gendarme officials said that heavy snowfall blocked roads of 500 out of nearly 600 villages in Kayseri. Meanwhile, highway between Kayseri and eastern province of Malatya has still been closed to the traffic.

    Passenger bus firms in central province of Nevsehir cancelled their journeys to Kayseri, Mersin and Ankara.

    Meanwhile, heavy snowfall severed access to 20 villages in Gulsehir, Avanos and Hacibektas townships of Nevsehir.

    The Turkish Airlines' (THY) flights between Kayseri and Istanbul were cancelled.

    Highway connecting Kayseri and Erciyes to each other has still been closed to the traffic due to heavy snowfall.

    Snow reached 1.88 metres in skiing center on Erciyes Mountain.

    In northwestern province of Kocaeli, heavy snowfall and stormy winds severed access to 245 villages.

    Efforts are under way to re-open these roads.

    -REASONED VERDICT ABOUT CLOSURE OF FP PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL GAZETTE
    ANKARA - Reasoned verdict of the Constitutional Court about closure of the Virtue Party (FP) was published in the Official Gazette on Saturday.

    The Constitutional Court decided on June 22, 2001 to ban the FP because of its anti-secular activities.

    After the Constitutional Court's reasoned verdict was published in the Official Gazette, deputyships of Nazli Ilicak and Bekir Sobaci were stripped off as they caused the closure of their party with their statements and actions.

    The Constitutional Court also brought political ban on Merve Kavakci, Nazli Ilicak, Bekir Sobaci, Ramazan Yenidede and Mehmet Silay.

    These five members of the outlawed FP cannot be founder, member, administrator and inspector of any political party for five years.

    A total of 102 deputies became independent after the closure of FP. Some of them later joined newly founded Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Felicity Party (SP).

    Former FP deputies Cemil Cicek, Azmi Ates and Ismail Kahraman preferred to remain as independent deputies.

    After the two FP parliamentarians were stripped off their deputyship, number of vacant chairs in the parliament increased to 12, and the number of independents reduced to 17.

    Latest distribution of seats at the parliament after Ilicak and Sobaci were stripped off their deputyship is as follows:

    Democratic Left Party (DSP)..................: 130

    Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).............: 127

    Motherland Party (ANAP)......................: 79

    True Path Party (DYP)........................: 84

    Justice and Development Party (AK Party).....: 53

    Felicity Party (SP)..........................: 48

    Independent..................................: 17

    Vacant.......................................: 12

    TOTAL........................................: 550
    -HEAVY SNOWFALL CONTINUES IN ISTANBUL
    ISTANBUL - Heavy snowfall that started yesterday, has been continuing in Istanbul on Saturday.

    Istanbul Deputy Governor Ali Cafer Akyuz for Disaster Management Center told the A.A correspondent that a 900-member team formed by the First Army Command, the First Armored Brigade Command, the Provincial Directorate of Highways, the Istanbul Municipality, the Provincial Department of Security, the Provincial Directorate of Rural Affairs and the Civil Defense, worked throughout the night.

    Noting that problems in traffic in the city center were removed, Akyuz said, ''however, Hadimkoy, Silivri and Selimpasa districts have still been suffering from some difficulties. Snow reached 1.5 metres in these districts. There are some lorries that overturned due to icy roads. These lorries have been constituting a serious obstacle for both our teams and traffic. Highway between Istanbul and Silivri has been closed to the traffic.''

    Akyuz said that nearly a thousand people and 300 vehicles that were stranded on roads due to heavy snowfall were rescued.

    He said that some districts could not be given electricity as snowfall also damaged power lines.

    Meanwhile, the Turkish Airlines (THY) cancelled most of its domestic and international flights due to bad weather conditions.

    Flights bound to Stuttgart, Brussels, Munich, Basel, Odessa, Vienna, Athens, Moscow, Bucharest, Kiev, Paris, Amsterdam, Geneva, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin, Dusseldorf and Milan were cancelled.

    -INTERIOR MINISTRY SENDS CIRCULAR TO GOVERNORS ON INCREASE OF SOCIAL
    SERVICES
    ANKARA - The Interior Ministry issued a circular on increase of social services and social security.

    The circular instructs heads of departments within civilian service and local administrations to increase social aid and protect the homeless and handicapped people and children living on the streets.

    According to a statement released by the Interior Ministry on Saturday, circular signed by Interior Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen was sent to governor's offices in 81 provinces, relevant offices and organizations.

    Noting that many steps in regulations and implementation had been taken to develop human rights, the circular said works in field of human rights constituted a process necessitated continuous efforts and cooperation and solidarity among all sections of the society.

    The circular said that wasteful expenditures of sources in planning and financing of social services should be prevented and coordination should be developed to increase productivity.

    Stressing the importance of determining people who needed social aid through a common register to be formed under leadership of governors, circular asked for an increase in allowances with social services purpose of municipalities and special administrations.

    The circular said heads of departments within civilian service should attribute importance to cooperation with voluntary organizations which aimed to serve society and with philantrophic people.

    Recalling that unsystematic distributions of aid to poor people disturbed public conscience from time to time, circular said that philantrophic persons and organizations would apply to the civil service departments after preparing a distribution plan.

    Stressing the importance of works by the municipalities on easy use of roads, parks, and public transport vehicles by handicapped people, circular said handicapped people education and rehabilitation centers should be opened.

    Stressing that municipalities should not charge handicapped people for social and cultural activities, circuar said special opportunities should be offered to handicapped people in opertion of business places beloned to municipalities.

    Noting that protection houses should be built in provinces to meet basic needs of homeless people, circular said that beggars and people living on the streets should be settled in those houses.

    Stressing that governor's offices and municipalities should cooperate in determination, rehabilitation and eduction of children living on the streets, circular said, ''however, children who beg, wipe windshields of cars or sell something on raods should not be tolerated.''

    Emphasizing that special importance should be attributed to foundation of culture and youth centers which oranized artistic, cultural and sports events in order to prevent young people from bad habits, circular said that measures which met social requirements and expectations of women should be taken.

    -REASONED VERDICT ABOUT CLOSURE OF FP PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL GAZETTE (2)
    ANKARA - Reasoned verdict of the Constitutional Court about closure of the Virtue Party (FP) was published in the Official Gazette on Saturday.

    The reasoned verdict which was composed of 450 pages, underlined importance of principle of secularism.

    Referring to constitutional and legal arrangements about the principle of secularism, the reasoned verdict also recalled the Constitutional Court's decision to ban the FP, and decisions taken by the Council of State and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) about turban and Islamic-style headscarf.

    ''Despite all these decisions, the FP continued to base its policies on the issues of turban and Islamic-style headscarf. Furthermore, it named Merve Kavakci whose opinions on these issues were konwn, as a candidate. Kavakci was elected as deputy as a result of the FP's attitude. The leader, deputies and some mayors of the FP incited enmity and hatred against state officials by describing the ban on turban and Islamic-style headcraft at universities and at state institutions as a cruelty preventing use of fundamental rights and freedoms with the claim of that secularism was misconceived,'' it said.

    The reasoned verdict said, ''moreover, the FP carried the issue of turban and Islamic-style headscarf to the parliament through Merve Kavakci and Nazli Ilicak who supported Kavakci before and after the general elections. They turned these issues into an action at the parliament. The FP used turban and Islamic-style headscarf as a sound political symbol. Their initiative at the parliament violated the principle of secularism which has a special place and importance in the Republic of Turkey that experienced the theocracy in its history. Participation of all FP deputies in the action at the parliament against the principle of secularism, the basis of democracy, rights and freedoms, proved that the FP became a center in which such actions were staged. It is also a sign proving that the FP did not adopt a modern and democratic model of society based on the principle of secularism and fundamental rights and freedoms. The FP had had an important potential of vote. Having regard to the possibility of implementing a model foreseen by the FP, it is clear that the FP constituted an extremely serious threat against secular and democratic order.''

    -FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY SPOKESMAN DIRIOZ SAYS AL-JIHAD
    CASTLE NEAR HARAM AL-SHARIF IN MECCA IS ABOUT TO COLLAPSE
    ANKARA - Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesman Huseyin Dirioz said on Saturday, ''we have learnt with a profound sorrow that the Ottoman-built Al-Jihad Castle near Haram Al-Sharif in Mecca will be demolished to construct a business center and hotel complex instead.''

    When asked whether or not the Foreign Affairs Ministry has launched any initiative, Dirioz said, ''a year ago, we heard some news saying that Al- Jihad Castle would be demolished to construct a business center and a hotel complex instead. We launched initiatives in Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials said that they decided not to demolish the Ottoman-built castle. This time, Saudi newspapers wrote that construction preparations started around the castle, the castle would be demolished, and the castle would be rebuilt in comply with its original. It was understood that demolition works have already started.''

    Noting that they had lauched an initiative at the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Ankara, Dirioz said, ''we told the Saudi Ambassador that we were deeply sorrow about Saudi Arabia's decision to demolish this common cultural heritage.''

    -HAKAN SUKUR RANKED 12TH IN IFFHS'S WORLD'S MOST SUCCESSFUL
    TOP DIVISION GOAL SCORER AMONG STILL ACTIVE PLAYERS
    ISTANBUL - Turkish National Team's number-one striker Hakan Sukur who could not find a place in Italy's Serie A football club FC Inter Milan's squad after his successes with Galatasaray was ranked 12th in the International Federation of Football History and Statistics' (IFFHS) the World's most successful Top Division Goal Scorer among the still active Players.

    The World's most successful Top Division Goal Scorer among the still active Players by IFHHS:

    Player Club Matches Goals

    1-Carlos Hermosillo Club D eportivo Guadalajara 577 323

    2-Krzysztof Warzycha Panathinaikos 519 303

    3-Jacobus J.Bosman AZ Alkmaar 512 249

    4-Romario de Souza Farias CR Vasco da Gama 305 236

    5-Ulf Kirsten TSV Bayer Leverkusen 487 234

    6-Patrick Morocutti UN Kaerjeng 343 223

    7-Anthony R.Cottee Barnet FC 562 223

    8-Ivan Rene Valenciano SE do Gama 366 218

    9-Alan Shearer Newcastle United FC 409 213

    10-Luboslav Penev CSKA Sofia 425 209

    11-Marc Degryse Germinal Beerschot 527 208

    12-HAKAN SUKUR FC Inter Milan 365 204

    13-Gabriel Batistuta AS Roma 358 199

    Meanwhile, Hakan Sukur reached a deal with Italy's Serie A football club AC Parma.

    Sources said on Saturday that Arrigo Sacchi who was appointed as general manager of AC Parma offered Hakan Sukur a 1.5-year contract and Sukur accepted the offer.

    Speaking to the A.A correspondent, Hakan Sukur said, ''I reached a deal with Arrigo Sacchi. Also Parma is a big club. I will be happy with playing for Parma.''

    -HISTORICAL WORKS OF ART SMUGGLED FROM TURKEY TO BE DISPLAYED IN BERLIN
    IZMIR - Historical works of art that were smuggled from Turkey, will be displayed in the museum island which is underconstruction in German capital Berlin.

    The project of museum island is expected to be finalized in 2010.

    In accordance with the project, Treasury Island in the Spree River will be changed into a center of science and art. Some buildings in the island will be restored, and new others will be added to the complex in order to create the museum island.

    The museum island will become the biggest universal museum of the world.

    A total of 1.5 million historical works of art from all over the world will be displayed in the museum island.

    Most of these historical works of art are archaeological works smuggled by archaeologists from Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Egypt.

    The Deutschland Magazine introduced the museum island as the most important project in the history of the Republic.

    The magazine said that unique museum complex to be comprised of five buildings connected to each other with underground passages, would host a rich archaelogical collection, samples of Christian art and a collection of 19th century works of art. In the museum island, 6 thousand years of the humanity will be displayed.

    Noting that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included the museum island in its list of World Cultural Heritage, the magazine said that an investment of 2 billion German marks would be made for the project till 2010.

    The Deutschland Magazine claimed that some historical works of art to be displayed in the museum island, were gained as a result of efforts of German archaeologists.

    The magazine defended that some splendid monuments such as Bergama's Zeus altar, pieces of Babylon's roads, Miletus' Agora Gate and early Islamic period's Mshatta Desert Palace were given to German archaeologists in return for their services in Egypt, Iraq and Turkey.

    It is a well-known fact that many German archaeologists secretly or openly took historical works of arts which were unearthed in different places in Anatolia in the last 150 years, to Germany.

    Sefa Taskin, one of the former mayors of Bergama township of western province of Izmir, launched a campaign for return of Zeus altar to Turkey.

    The Zeus Altar was broken into pieces and smuggled to Germany by German engineer Carll Humman as of 1886. The altar was put together again in Germany.

    Cevat Sakir Kabaagacli, a leading writer of Turkey who is better known as Fisherman of Halicarnassus, sent a letter to the Queen of Britain for return of the mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the seven wonders of ancient world.

    Meanwhile, more than 100 pieces of historical works of art which are known as the Treasures of Karun were unearthed in illegal archaeological excavations near Gure hamlet in western province of Usak in 1968. These works of art were smuggled abroad. It was unveiled in 1990s that the treasury was being kept at the New York's Metropolitan Museum. The Culture Ministry filed a lawsuit at New York court for return of the treasury, and won the lawsuit. Now, these priceless works of art are being displayed in Usak Museum.

    Most of the historical works of art displayed in museums in Germany, France, Britain and the United States are magnificant works smuggled from Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Egypt.

    -HEAVY SNOWFALL BLOCKS MANY VILLAGE ROADS THROUGHOUT TURKEY
    ANKARA - Heavy snowfall blocked a number of village roads throughout Turkey on Saturday.

    In northwestern province of Sakarya, heavy snowfall and stormy winds severed access to 410 villages.

    Because of failures in power lines, seven villages in Pamukova and Karasu districts of Sakarya could not be given electricity.

    Rural Affairs Provincial Director Suleyman Kulaksiz said that 400 personnel had been working with 57 vehicles to clear the roads.

    Kulaksiz added that 17 vehicles were allocated to head officials' offices to intervene in emergency situations.

    A crisis desk was set up within structure of the Provincial Directorate of Rural Affairs to deal with problems stemming from bad weather conditions.

    In northwestern province of Bolu, two-day heavy snowfall blocked 114 village roads. Snow reached 30 centimetres on the D-100 highway near Bolu Mountain. Security forces banned vehicles without snow chains from travelling. Heavy snowfall piled snow drifts 20 centimetres deep at the city center of Bolu, 50 centimetres deep in Abant and 2.5 centimetres deep in Kartalkaya.

    Municipal teams have been working to clear the roads.

    In central province of Sivas, 900 village roads have been closed to the traffic due to heavy snowfall.

    In neighboring Cankiri province, 303 out of 369 village roads were blocked. Snow reached 40 centimetres at the city center of Cankiri, and 1 metre in townships.

    A total of 29 people were stranded in rural area between Sarievler township of central province of Karaman and Taskent township of central province of Konya. They were rescued by gendarmerie teams, and provided hot tea and bread.

    A total of 600 village roads have been closed to the traffic in Konya. As heavy snowfall damaged energy lines, 88 villages in Derbent, Hadim, Yalihoyuk, Ahirli, Aksehir, Karapinar, Halkapinar and Emirgazi could not be given electricity.

    Heavy snowfall and stormy winds severed access to nearly 2 thousand villages in northern provinces of Samsun, Ordu, Amasya and Sinop.

    Bad weather conditions also paralyzed traffic and daily life in central provinces of Kirsehir and Nigde, blocking many village roads.

    In western provinces of Izmir, Aydin, Mugla, Manisa, Usak and Denizli, many village roads have been closed to the traffic.

    Transportation Minister Oktay Vural said that all flights at the Adnan Menderes Airport were cancelled till 04:00 p.m.

    In southern provinces of Adana and Icel, highway connection with a number of settlement units have been cut. Also, these settlement units could not be given electricity.

    Heavy snowfall also paralyzed daily life and traffic in northwestern provinces of Kirklareli, Edirne and Tekirdag.

    Many village roads were blocked.

    Stranded vehicles and passengers were rescued by gendarmerie officials.

    All passenger bus journeys from Sarkoy township of Tekirdag were cancelled. Two officials working at the radiolink transmitter on Isterne Hill in Sarkoy township of Tekirday could not be reached for four days.

    Meanwhile, an illegal immigrant froze to death in Lalapasa township of northwestern province of Edirne as he had been trying to proceed to Bulgaria illegally. He could not be identified yet.

    In Istanbul, the Social Services and Protection of Children Institution took 66 homeless people and street children from streets to some public shelters.

    Exams at many universities were cancelled.

    -DERVIS SAYS AIM OF BANKING OPERATION IS COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY IN FINANCE
    SECTOR

    ANKARA - State Minister Kemal Dervis said on Saturday that complete transparency was the target of banking operation, adding, ''banking is not made with someone else's money.''

    Dervis said, ''the state support will be given very transparently but actually under very difficult conditions to banks which still have capital above zero but lost some of this capital due to the economic crisis.''

    Attending a programme on Turkish Radio and Television (TRT), Dervis said regarding the arrangements to be made in banking sector that banking could not be made with someone else's money, stresin that if a bank lost its capital, it would be seized by the Savings Deposits Insurance Fund (SDIF).

    Stressing that the state support to such a bank was out of question, Dervis said, ''the state support will be given very transparently but actually under very difficult conditions to banks which still have capital above zero but lost some of this capital due to the economic crisis. First of all, the owner of the bank will be obliged to put more capital. Secondly, its accounts will be under three-stage supervision. The first of these is the currently existing supervision, the second on is the additional supervision and the third one is the supervision by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA). We have never reached such a transparency in Turkey.''

    Noting that important steps had been taken in the economy in 2001, Dervis said that they should continue the increasing growth rate in order to spread the positive conditons also to the low-income people.

    Dervis said that the most important success was transition from a structure fighting against current deficit into an economy creating foreign exchange surplus.

    Recalling that decreasing the growth rate target to 3 percent had stemmed from the latest negativities in the global economic situation, Dervis said that it was a cautious rate and that the economy management and he would excess the revised growth rate at the end of 2002.

    Dervis noted that the state should continue the savings policy with determination in order to recover the loan flow to the real sector.

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